Success!!!

Apparently I DID make enough of a ruckus yesterday with my medical group and insurance company....... as I said in my last post..... that I was going to try and sit patiently.... well TRY was the key word..... and it didn't work... after my last post, I was still fired up, so I called my medical group back and had them send another, yes another, email (they had already sent one earlier in the day) to my Insurance company, telling them that it should have already been done and that it needs to be expedited........ after that call, it was already around 5pm, which is when all the medical offices shut down, so I was done for the day....... so that brings me to this morning.... again... i tried to wait patiently for them to call me....... but i only made it until 10am and then i started calling people....... well its a good thing I did because turns out they did get a response, just never bothered to call me...... apparently the Arthrogram didn't need approval....... and they approved the CT..... So GREAT! Perfect...... ok, so now all I need to do is call my doctors office and have them fax a copy of the order for the tests and the approval to the Imaging place before I can schedule...... So i call and leave a message with my doctors office requesting that they do so....... and i call the imaging place letting them know that my doctors office should be sending them over the information........ the girl tells me ok, and that she will call me to schedule when they get the information........ so a couple hours go by and nothing........ now i was trying REALLY hard to not be annoying by calling all the time, but it was really hard!!  My boss called in sick today, so I was in the office ALL alone, with nothing to do and nobody to talk to........ sooooo I couldn't help myself. :)   So i call the *nice* lady's back at the imaging place to check and see if they had gotten the paperwork they needed from my doctors office...... she checks.... and, oh yeah... they did.... but the only thing sent over was the test request and not the authorization........ so she has to call my doctors back and ask for the authorization........ UGHH!  GOOD thing i called because otherwise it would still be sitting there..... so I sit for another 2 hours *patiently* waiting to hear back...... nothing..... so i decide to call again......... and oh gee, what do you know....... they have the authorization, but just never called me back.......

Ok.... now I realize that I might sound like a Biotch, or maybe a little impatient to some people who might be reading this......... but seriously.... I'm not TRYING to be annoying to the nice health care workers........ I understand that its not all about ME........ and i'm not the only person they are dealing with, and the only case they have to take care of....... but that's just it...... I am just a CASE NUMBER to them....... the majority of them could really care less that by just faxing a simple letter or pushing an "authorize" button that it could save me hours and days, even weeks of pain...... If i wouldn't have gotten the authorization this week, then it would be until next week, and then if they Imaging place was booked then i wouldn't be able to get an appointment until the NEXT week..... I know it doesn't seem that long....... and really ... it's not..... for somebody who is NOT in pain every single day....... for people who suffer with chronic pain time is EVERYTHING when it comes to working on a plan to get you pain free.

So...... anyway..... after many, many phone calls today, I FINALLY have my appointments set!!  yay!!!!  I have my CT at 1:15 and then I have to check in for my Bilateral Arthrograms at 2:15 ......... Wait... Bilateral???  YES!!  BILATERAL!!!   (Insert me freaking out RIGHT HERE!) ...... As i was on the phone making the appointment, the girl was reading, more to herself, but out loud the order for the tests as she was putting them into the computer.... she says "  Ok.. we have a CT... and Bilateral Arthrograms...." .......... i said "uh huh ....... Wait.... WHAT?  Did you just say Bilateral??'  and she said " Yup" ........ I said " Ummm no... I thought it was only supposed to be for my right hip" ........ shes quite for a second... and then says " Ummm.. nope... the order right here (as i hear her shaking the paper as if i can see it)   says Bilateral" .......... i respond with..... " Oh...... Ok...... " ......... as my blood pressure spikes to an all time high i'm sure........ Bilateral?? really??  You're really gonna stick that long @ss needle in BOTH of my hips??   I don't understand why this is such a problem with me.......... I am not afraid of needles by any means...... shots, IV's, getting blood taken, tattoos....... all no problem...... but for SOME reason... just the thought of this is making my skin crawl.... I am seriously freaking out.......  and I know some of my hip chicks say it's no big deal...... but then i've heard some horror stories as well....... and i'm sure that a lot of it has to do with the technician doing the insert and everything....... but I think maybe its just the thought of them sticking a long, thick needle into an area that is already inflammed and sore....... its like my tattoo artist going over a spot that he has already done when its all swollen and inflammed......... I guess thats the feeling I imagine, and I am NOT a fan!!!   Definitely asking my doctor for some Valium!! :)    One good thing is that my fellow Hip Chick Alycia is most likely going to be taking me, so that will make me feel SO much better!!  Being there with somebody who has already been through it and knows how i'm feeling.......... If she's not able to, my ex Wes offered to take me...... and he's always been able to comfort me and make me feel safe, so either way, I win.  ;)

Stirring up a ruckus!!

So I am currently waiting for the approval to have the MRI Arthrogram and the CT that Dr. Santore wanted me to get. I had to have the doctor who referred me to Santore, Dr. Ezzet, order them because he is on my insurance plan, so it really shouldn't be a problem for them to approve those tests because i've already seen him and it could be a part of his work up as well........  easy right?  Apparently NOT!  gosh, I swear,  being your own advocate in the healthcare world should be its own freakin full time job!!  I am SO sick of being referred to and transfered to everywhere but where somebody can help me!  I called the place where I want to get the tests done just to see their booking time and how far out they book, and its only about a week out...... which isn't to bad really...... but it just seems like FOREVER when you are in pain, and when this is part of whats holding back the doctor from finding a path to fix me!!  I can't make my appointments until I get the approval...... so the longer it takes for them to approve it, of course the longer its gonna take to get the MRA appointment......... I wish i could just sit back and let them do their jobs...... BUT THEY DON'T!!  I've learned from the first time I tried to sit back and let them do their jobs that it doesnt work.... it put me back a whole month on even getting to see Dr. Santore...... so now I feel like I have to be on their butts making sure everything is going where its supposed to be going and everybody is talking to who they should be talking to....... but its kinda hard to do that when i'm not even sure whats really supposed to be going on...... all i know is that my medical group and my insurance company doesnt seem to have very good communication between them so things get dropped into a black hole until i call and make a fuss...... and then I feel bad for making a fuss and for being annoying, but GEEZ!!!  do your job and I won't have to do it for you!!!!!!

Also... would this stabbing sharp pain hitting my lower back and hip joints please goooo awayyyy!!!  I don't have the time or the patience for you!!


Ok..... my rant's over....... i'll try and sit here patiently........ but i can't promise how long that will last..... hopefully i've created enough of a ruckus between my medical group and my insurance company to get an answer by tomorrow.

Embarking on another journey

So now that I have had a few days to sulk and feel sorry for myself, I'm done.  I am still really discouraged, and sad, and frustrated, but that isn't going to get me anywhere. Before I get into the rest of this post I just have to say THANK YOU for all of the people who responded to my last post. You guys are amazing, and I am incrediably lucky to have all of you in my life. Having this condition, and the issues that I have is not life threatening, I get it........ but it is extremely painful, frustrating, depressing, and very hard to deal with alone, and in a way, a part of you does die........ the longer you deal with chronic pain, the harder it is to keep that smile on your face, and the positivity in your heart. But i'm not done fighting it, and I have an awesome support team and I hope you guys know how much you mean to me!!!  xoxoxoxoxoxo

So I forgot to mention in my last post, that Dr. Santore wants me to lose at least 30 pounds. I am at least 30 pounds over weight, I know this...... and I know that it is NOT helping my hips. But the reason why he wants me to lose the weight is because he said that when we end up doing surgery, the more fat he has to cut through the harder it is for him to see inside and get placement right and such........ which I totally understand.  Losing the weight is not going to fix my issues..... they are structural issues, and I was still in pain when i was 30 pounds lighter, but I know that it will help to ease a little bit of the pressure and if it helps with the outcome of whatever surgical path Dr. Santore decides to go down then I need to do it.  He told me to do Weight Watchers, or stick to a strict 1200 calorie diet.   He said " if you want a glass of wine.... have a glass of wine, but count the calories........ if you want a hamburger, have a hamburger, but count the calories... and DON'T CHEAT!"  haha, he knows me better than he thinks!!   ughhhh!!  I am SOOOO bad at cheating!!   But I can do this!!!    My mom asked him if I can lose that much weight just by doing that without excercise and he said " oh of course.... how many pictures have you seen of fat people in a concentration camp??  None!  They don't get any exercise, they are stuck in a cage.....  if you don't have the calories coming in, you can't keep the weight on" ............ haha, so that's an idea of Dr. Santore's humor ;)
Well, i really wouldn't say humor, because he was being serious, haha! :)  But yes....... he's right..... I have not seen any pictures of "fat" people in concentration camps.    So thats what I am focusing on right now to TRY and take the focus off of the waiting of approval for the next set of testing that I need to figure out what path to go down.  Anybody who knows me, knows that i LOVE to eat..... and i don't just love to eat...... apparently I only love to eat the stuff that is SO bad for me!  I've done a good job of getting away from all of the soda I used to drink..... but I just love fast food and junk food, and I am SO not good at eating my Veggies :(     A fellow hipster has told me about this calorie counting website....... it's called http://www.fatsecret.com/ ..........  you can track your weight, your food, your calories, your fat, your carbs .... even your weight watchers points if thats the "diet" you're doing........ and you can have buddies on there, and you have a journal if you want to write ...... it's just a way of keeping track of your eating habits, and having other friends who are doing the same to keep each other on track and to cheer each other on....... i've already gotten one of my friends to join and be my buddy....... so if you're a fellow hippie trying to lose weight and get ready for surgery, or are trying to lose the weight you've gained after your surgery, or even if you're not a fellow hippie, and you're just trying to lose weight....... join me on that site!!  You can search for me under the email krystalclausen@cox.net......... i don't think i used my real name.... but you'll be able to recognize my picture that I used since its the same one on this blog.......  I would love to help motivate you on your weight loss journey, and I would love to have some more support.

So there we have it........ Im embarking on a weight loss journey to help aid in and to take my mind off of my hip journey...... join me! :)

Not what I wanted to hear............

Well........ today did not turn out like I had hoped.  My hope was that I was going to be able to go into Dr. Santore's office...... he would look at my X-rays and say " Yep.... I can fix you with a PAO...... lets do this!"....... haha..... thats not exactly what came out of his mouth.  Turns out I have more problems than I knew I had...... I not only have dysplasia, I also have Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) of both the Cam and the Pincer on both hips, and he is also pretty sure that I have some labral tears.  He basically said that he doesn't know how to fix me.........  He said that its not a clear cut case, with a clear cut solution..... usually when somebody has limited range of motion in the front or the back, they are pretty open in the other area, so that he's able to do a PAO and he has room to move the pelvic around into a better position to get the desired range of motion......... well that's not my case..... I am both too tight in the front and the back...... so he has no room to play around with and move my pelvis anywhere..... if he moved it back to open the front, that would make it to where i can't move my leg backwards at all, and vise versa in the front.  He also said that I am abnormally flat footed, especially in my left foot...... so that is also causing some issues as well.  He doesn't want to do one surgery that is just going to cause or worsen other problems, so he's kinda baffled at this time. While doing his range of motion tests, my hip popped a few times on the left, and he had his assistant mark it down as a "one" ...... and then he moved to my right hip... it popped so loud that he jumped back! haha! he said " Woah! Write that down as a Three! You can hear that all the way from across the room!" ....... and then he was doing a certain range of motion with my right and it popped... he did it again.. it popped... he did it again and it popped... then he says " Yep... did it three times... popped three times"  haha!!  He was making sure that it wasn't just a fluke the first time apparently... I think you had to be there to see how funny of a little bald guy he is! :)    He wants me to get a CT and an MRA done so that he can get a better picture of my bone structure and so that he can confirm the labral tears.  All of this is NOT what I wanted to hear :(    One good thing that I got out of this appointment was some validation....... halfway through the exam after hearing he's not sure how to fix me I started crying... I felt so stupid, I didn't want to cry.......... but I just couldn't help it.  I am just SO TIRED of being in pain everyday and all I want to do is be able to go to the mall with my mom and sister, I want to be able to do some photography trips with my dad,  I want to be able to hold my baby nephew without feeling like my hips are going to give out on me, I want to be able to walk, and run, and hike like I used to without pain...... i just want to LIVE MY LIFE again......... so as I was wiping tears from my eyes Dr. Santore said "  You have a real problem here, these are real issues.... they aren't just in your head" ........... THAT is what I have been waiting to hear for YEARS........ I knew that it was not just in my head.... that my pain is real...... but after years and years of getting told that it's in your head and nobody really understanding how much pain you're in, it really does start getting to your head and start to make you feel so lost and so alone.

So that's where I am right now in this very long, painful, and tiring journey..... I will follow up with Dr. Ezzet, who is the one who referred me to Dr. Santore, as Dr. Santore said he was going to email Dr. Ezzet and have him request the CT and the MRA because he is in my medical plan so I SHOULDN'T have a problem with them approving the tests.

That's it for tonight.......... im emotionally drained, sore from being bent and moved and adjusted and tortured for 30 minutes.... and honestly just kinda out of words.  I really wanted to be able to come and write and tell you guys that everything went GREAT! .......... but it didn't........ I at least have more information than I went in with because I didn't know about the FAI........ I had suspected and was not surprised about the labral tears..... but the FAI threw me...... so I think im just still trying to take everything in and I need time to re-adjust my mindset on still having to go through more testing and appointments.   Thank you guys for all of your support!!!   I couldn't go through this without the love and support of my friends and family... and especially my Hip Chicks!!  I love you guys! xoxoxo

Tomorrow's the day.......

Tomorrow is the day i've been waiting and fighting for, for the last 3 months!!!  I will finally get to meet Dr. Santore and talk to him about my PAO's.  I am finishing my pre-appointment paperwork, and putting the finishing touches on my questions.  My mother and father are coming with me to my appointment, so that is good, I will have two extra minds to come up with questions that I forget, and two extra sets of ears to hear and remember the answers to my questions, as I know that I will probably forget some of them.  I do have alot of questions, but I also have been able to have alot of my questions answered from my Hip Sisters. I feel SOOO lucky to have met so many AMAZING people throughout this crazy process. I have been lucky enough to meet an awesome person, Alycia, who lives close to me and who has had both of her hips done by Santore, so alot of my questions regarding how Santore works or does things have been answered because I know that each surgeon does things a little differently.  Alycia has become somebody that I consider a great friend , somebody that I can talk to who understands and is able to soothe and calm me at times that i'm freaking out. I am also happy that Alycia is a creative soul like myself...... and that we are able to work together on creative ventures.  I was able to hang out with Alycia yesterday and we talked for awhile about Dr. Santore and her surgeries and how my consultation is going to go.  She has a way of easing my mind and I am so thankful for having her in my life! :)     I am so greatful for having ALL of my hip sisters in my life! I love you guys!! xoxoxo

I'll write more tomorrow and let you know how my consultation goes with Santore.  Wish me luck!! :)

ARRRGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As if the pain is not enough today, I just got a call from Dr. Santore's office....... at first I thought maybe they were just calling to confirm and remind me of my appointment on Tuesday...... Ummm wrong!   She called to tell me that they recieved the authorization letter from Blue Cross, but she called them just to make sure it was good, and they informed her that they cancelled that authorization number on March 1st!!  WTF!!!   Seriously?!?  This is really happening??!  Ughhhhhhh!!!   Then she goes on to tell me that with my particular insurance the way they bill is that they bill my Medical Group (Scripps Clinic) instead of my Insurance Company anyway, so the authorization has to come from my Medical group and not my Insurance......... WHY IS EVERYTHING SO DIFFICULT!???     So by this point in the conversation I'm crying and flipping out because i'm so damn frustrated!!!   I tried explaining everything to her that i've been going through for the last 3 months trying to get in to see Santore....... and she asked me......... " Whats wrong with you? Do you have Dysplasia? Is that your problem?" .......... Now ok..... I understand that she was asking me that because she wasn't sure of the exact reason of why I was wanting to see Santore, and she was going to see if they had another doctor she could referr me to....... but " What's wrong with you?"  "is that your problem?" ........... was the WRONG thing to say to me at this point........ I just started crying more.......  So then I ask her how much it would be if i cam to see him without insurance..... and she said its anywhere from $250-400 ....... and I asked her if they could bill me, and she said No...... that I would have to pay cash at my appointment......... I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY!! ....... again, more crying......  She told me that she wouldn't cancel my appointment, and for me to try calling my Medical group and see what I can find out.......... So I called the nurse at the doctors office who was doing the referral to Dr. Santore, and who was handling putting in the authorizations....... She's been really good to me through this whole thing and really trying to help me, but she, herself can only do so much........ So i call her freaking out..... and she tells me that they are crazy, and that I DO have authorization from my Medical Group...... she checked the computer and she said that I have authorization from BOTH my Medical Group AND my Insurance Company......  and she gave me an authorization number from Scripps Clinic....... So i call the lady back at Santore's office and tell her, and she said she was going to call the other doctors office and have them fax a copy of the authorization to her to make sure its really an authorization because they have problems with Scripps Clinic and sometimes people think its an authorization when it really isn't..........  she said if she doesn't call me back then everything is ok....... and if she does, then there is a problem...... she hasn't called back yet......... I don't think i've ever wanted my phone to NOT ring so much in my life.   This is ridiculous!! ........... and just think, i'm going to have to go through the whole thing again just trying to get them to approve the surgery itself!!!   All of this is just to have a damn consultation with Dr. Santore!!! 
I am emotionally and physically exhausted!!  I'm done with today!!   Can I just start all over with tomorrow please!!   :(

Spoke to soon.......

So I thought today was going to be a good day, pain wise, because when I woke up and rolled out of bed this morning it was pretty painless..... and then as I was walking from my car to work today, which is a little bit of a walk because of stupid construction going on around our buildings, I was doing pretty good...... no limp, no waddle...... Sweet!!!  Today's gonna be a good day!!!  ....... WRONG! ........ I sit down in front of my computer, turn my light on, log in, turn my heater on, radio on....... and then... wait.... whats this? ..... ahhh yes..... there it is...... the oh so familiar BURN!   ARrrrrghhhh!!  The pain that I hate the worst!!  I would take the stiffness and the limp and waddle over the burning ache any day!!  I can't really explain how much it hurts..... it makes me naseous and grumpy and it just doesnt stop!!   Ugh, im glad today is my Friday here at work..... then I have to make it through the weekend and then I FINALLY see Dr. Santore on Tuesdsay!! Whooo hoooo!!!   

This weekend I need to sit down and fill out my pre-appointment paperwork that they sent me, as well as write down ALL my questions to bring with me so that I don't forget anything.  I'm also thinking of printing out some information about Hip Dyplasia and about the PAO surgery for my sister, and for my mom.  My sister understands the need for the surgery..... It's my mom that is having a problem with it.  I'm having a hard time explaining to her why I need it....... she just keeps saying " Maybe there is something else that can be done" ....... or " Maybe he'll say that you don't need the surgery " .......... I told her she can keep hoping that is the case, even though my report from the OS who referred me to Dr. Santore for the PAO clearly says " I have explained to her that this is a developmental process and it cannot be changed other than with surgical intervention." .......... She just doesn't want to believe it.  She's coming with me to my appointment with Dr. Santore next week, so hopefully he'll be able to explain to her WHY I need the surgery, and ease her mind a little bit about things.   I understand that she is scared....... she should be...... it's a Major surgery...... and I am terrified ...... but at the same time I am miserable right now, I can no longer do many of the things that I used to enjoy,  I am unhappy and depressed, and if this surgery gives me a chance at getting my active life back, then I'm going to take it!  I understand the potential complications that come with the surgery....... and I understand that it is not guaranteed and that ALL of my pain may not go away..... but anything has to be better than this right now.  I don't think people really understand the effect Chronic Pain has on a person.... it makes you angry, it makes you sad, and it makes you sick, and it's a hard thing to deal with day in and day out while trying to maintain a smile on your face for everybody else.

When I talk to Dr. Santore, and if he orders me the MRI with contrast, I am going to ask him if its possible to have my left ankle/foot MRI'd at the same time.  It has the same burning ache and pain that my hip does ever since the swelling started about 4 or 5 years ago...... i've had x-ray after x-ray and nobody can find anything, but I KNOW something is not right.... there has to be a reason of why it would burn and ache like that constantly.  Here is the picture of the swelling for those of you who have not seen it........ it doesnt swell like this anymore, but the ache and burn is still there.

Anyway..... thats about all I have for right now....... just have to make it through the weekend and hopefully i'll get all of my questions answered on Tuesday when I see Dr. Santore!!!  Yay!!!

xoxoxo to all my Hip Chicks!!

Hip Dysplasia Awareness Campaign

Hi All!!

Nothing new is really going on with me pain wise since I wrote last, except for my knees have been giving me crap lately. A few days ago was the worst........ I had the hips burning, the knees screaming, and my left ankle whining (ever since the swelling I showed you on my first post) .......... I still don't know whats up with my ankle.... they've taken numerous X-rays and say that everything is "fine" ...... so whatever.... I think im going to talk to Dr. Santore about it when I see him on the 16th...... I know he doesn't really deal with ankle/foot issues.... but i'm sure he'll have more to say than all the idiots i've talked to about it up until now.
Let me just say how relieved I am to have Dr. Santore as my surgeon!! He is HIGHLY well regarded in this field, and everybody I have talked to who has had him as their surgeon can't say enough about him. I am also extremely happy that he is LOCAL.  There are only a handful of surgeons in the world who are capable of doing a PAO, and a lot of my Hip Chicks have had to travel to different states to get their surgeries done, so I know that I am very lucky in that sense, and I am so thankful for that!!  I got the package of paperwork from Santore in the mail the other day that I need to have filled out by my appointment on the 16th.  On the paperwork, he wanted to know all of the doctors i've seen and all the procedures and tests i've had up until this date..... I have been to SOO many different doctors and have had SO many tests run on me, that I can't even begin to remember them all... I know that the paperwork is just general and he's just trying to get an idea of what i've been through, but I want it to be as accurate as possible for him, and I have until the 16th, so yesterday I called the records department and had them print out all the doctors appointments i've had since 2007 ....... many, many, many appointments!!  So anyway, it's finally time for me to fill out my paperwork, and start getting my questions written down for my appointment........ I can't believe its actually happening!!!  and now I know the importance of writing down my questions to bring with me....... because before I actually got approved to have my appointment I had ALL these questions in my head to ask....... and now that I actually have an appointment date, and im trying to write down my questions....... I'm coming up blank!   So for any of the "newbies" ....... seriously...... WRITE DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS!!   As elementary as that may seem to you, or as much as you might not be a  "list" person...... just write them down...... if you don't need them, then you don't need them...... but if/when you get into the exam room and you're faced with the surgeon who is going to hack your bones apart and then screw them back together again....... you just might come up blank...... just sayin.

 So I've been trying to find some video's of PAO's or anything Hip Dysplasia related to add to my Hip Chicks site, and I was getting extremely frustrated and actually quite pissed off that when you google or search Youtube for Hip Dysplasia the majority of the stuff you're going to find is about Hip Dysplasia in Dogs!!!  ARrrghgh!!!!   I LOVE dogs..... don't get me wrong..... But really??  Hip Dysplasia is a HUMAN condition also, and there is NOT enough information out there....... especially when it comes to information for the adults who have just been diagnosed because of slipping through the cracks as infants and not getting diagnosed.  It sucks.... it really does..... and what sucks even more is that because not very many people or even DOCTORS know much about it, and because it is kind of a "silent condition" meaning, it can't be SEEN..... our pain is not always taken very seriously.  TRUST ME...... just because I have a smile on my face, DOES NOT mean that I am not in pain. Just because I LOOK like I can walk for more than a city block, DOES NOT mean that I can. Just because I am 28 years old, DOES NOT mean that my hips are not falling apart, and that I am "to young" for Hip Surgery.   The stigma out there that Hip Surgery is only for your 80 year old grandma's Hip Replacement is frustrating, and really quite stupid!! 

Sooooooooo  with the encouragement from my Hip Chicks, I have decided to start a Hip Dysplasia Awareness Campaign. I have been wanting to concentrate and work on my photography anyway........ so why not use it for something I am passionate about!  I am going to be doing a series of Hip Dysplasia Awareness aimed Photo shoots........... think the " Got Milk?"  Ads..... for starters....... I have a lot of ideas in the works, and I'll post them as I do them........ but I don't wanna say to much about it right now as i'm still trying to get everything together.  All I know is that I am going to need a lot of help and support from my friends, family, and hip chicks......... because spreading the awareness is not an easy task.

I'll leave you with a funny little comic that one of my Hip Chicks, Amy, had posted on her blog. I found it quite funny :)

FINALLY!!!!!!!! Wait........ this is really happening?? Oh Crap!!

Hi Guys!!  Ok.... so I've had a pretty eventful few days since my last post......... Let me see..... On my last post I was telling you about how I called the UM Department and had them put in a request for authorization for me, and also how I was going to be meeting up with a fellow Hip Chick to do a photoshoot for her accessory line! Yay!!  Ok....... so Let me tell you whats happened since :)

I was supposed to meet up with Alycia, my fellow Hip Chick, on Friday..... well that didn't happen..... for various reasons.... she was coming down from Temecula, which is about an hour and a half away from me I think, but it ended up that her hips were killing her that day, and honestly, so were mine.... along with a major sinus headache, so we just scrapped Fridays meet and decided to meet a few hours early at Balboa Park (where we were doing the shoot) to meet and sit and chat a little bit before the model got there.  So saturday comes and the weather is CRAPPY!!  Rain, Rain, Rain............ but we decided to still do the shoot because there were parts of Balboa Park that we could shoot in that had cover for us..... so its raining the whole way from my house all the way to Balboa Park......... once I reach Balboa.... the clouds opened up, the sun came out, and it was perfect........ like it stopped raining just for me! yaya!! haha! ........ well that didnt last long........ haha, I met up with Alycia, we hugged, talked, walked, and sat down for some tea and some more chit chat......... I LOVE Alycia!  She is the cutest girl ever and so easy to talk too!!  Not to mention, she makes AMAZING earrings and hair pieces! :)   Alycia has had both of her hips done by Dr. Santore who is my surgeon, so it was nice to be able to sit down and talk to somebody who has had the same surgeon I am going to have.  We talked for awhile, while we waited for our model to show up......... and once she did, the show was on! ......... we had such a great fun time shooting....... it was cold, it was windy, and it was raining every  now and then...... but we managed to get some really good shots if I do say so myself! :)   here are a few shots from the shoot.......... and you can check Alycia's ETSY page out and purchase all of the earrings and hair accessories on there......... she also does custom requests, so HIT HER UP!!!!  I was stuck in bed most of the day on Sunday because apparently I did a little to much walking and bending for my stupid little hips to handle!! SO enjoy these pictures!!! haha! :)

 

And then Alycia and I also had dinner on Sunday night at a cute little Mexican place in North Park. I had a great time, Thank you Alycia for getting me out of the house!!! <3

So while we were hanging out and talking hips this weekend.......... Alycia  encouraged me to go see Dr. Santore for a consultation even without my insurance, and deal with all the other crap later......... the most important thing was to just SEE Dr. Santore, and get this ball rolling!!!  SoOOO I decided that on Monday, I was going to call and make an appointment with Dr. Santore, regardless of if my authorization that the lady from the UM department had put in had gone through or not......... Well 8am rolls around on Monday morning and I make the phone call to Dr. Santore's office........ only to be told that they open at 9 ....... ha, must be nice!!  ;)   So I hang up and decide to just call the UM Department while im waiting for 9 to check on my authorization since the 3-5 days was supposed to be up on Monday anyway..... and guess what..................... IT WAS APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I was SO flippin excited!!!   9am could NOT get here any faster!!  9:01 and i'm on the phone to Dr. Santore's office........ only to be told that it's just fine and dandy that I have approval, but they can't give me an appointment until they have that approval in writing......... FINE!!!  So I hang up, and call the UM department back to see if they can fax me the approval letter so that I can call and make my appointment that I have been WAITING for, for 3 EFFING months!!!...... and what do they say ?  ..." Umm I'm sorry dear... we can't do that.... we can't send out a fax because it hasn't been 5-7 days yet since we sent out the approval letter" ....... Are you KIDDING me???  REAlly???  you're REALLY gonna be THAT dramatic about it??  PLEASE!!  get over yourself, and fax me the damn approval letter!!!!  ARGGHHH!!!   so fine... I call Dr. Santore's office back and tell her to just put me down as a cash patient so she can give me the appointment, and then when they get my approval letter they can just change me to insurance instead of cash...... Well that worked like a charm........ and I have my appointment March 16th @ 1:30pm!! WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!    SOOO happy....... but then I calm down......... and it all starts to sink in a little........ then WHOOOO HOOOOO turns to......... OH CRAP!!!  This is REALLY happening!  Let me tell you, it is such a weird feeling to be so happy about something and to be so utterly freakin scared out of my mind about it at the same time.  I go on emotional rollercoasters ALL the time......... BUT to have these two opposite feelings about something at the same exact time is indescribable.   The thought of having the chance at being pain free and having my life back is AMAZING...... but at the same time, the thought of what i'm going to have to endure to get there...... terrifies me!  BUT I know that I'm going to be ok!!  I have my friends and my family who love me......... and I have my extended Hip Chicks family who will be there for me through the whole thing. :)

Thanks for reading ya'll! ;)